Champions Creed

Chapter 127 Chapter 126: It's over. There will no longer be a Miami Heat team. (Monthly ticket requested!)

No one knows what it means to be miserable better than Alonzo Mourning

As a powerful center, he was first knocked to the ground by Roger, the defender.

Then Roger dunked on him with great impact.

In terms of the frequency of falling down among centers, probably only the Philadelphia 76ers many years later could be compared with him.

Mourning is the soul of the entire Heat team. His toughness is the toughness of the Heat, and his tenacity is the tenacity of the Heat.

As a result, Roger smashed his toughness and tenacity to pieces.

So for the Heat, Roger's two attacks were truly soul-stirring.

Mickey Arison started to get nervous as he watched Roger vent his anger at Riley.

His opponents seem to be tougher and more decisive than his own team!
Mourning got up from the ground in a panic and angrily punched the cushion on the basketball hoop.

He swore that he would never speak a word to Roger in private again!

That dunk just now and Roger's subsequent trash talk were simply destroying his dignity!

Roger is indeed trying to stifle Morning's dignity. His methods are so cruel now.

Unlike the angry Mourning, Pat Riley, who has been criticized all the time, remains calm.

He sat on the bench, crossed his legs, and occasionally adjusted his slicked-back hairdo, as if he didn't care at all about what Roger said.

Riley just turned his head and looked at his assistant coach Stan Van Gundy: "Heh, that idiot really thinks he can win."

Riley's calmness was not pretended. Since he chose such a defensive strategy, he didn't mind how many points Roger scored.

Even if Roger scores 40 points, as long as the Heat are leading in the score, Roger will be the loser!

Roger felt unhappy when he saw that Riley didn't give any response.

Okay, let’s see how long you can sit there calmly!
Ever since he tasted the sweetness of playing singles, Roger would initiate a one-on-one challenge whenever he got the ball.

Pat Riley used a rotation system to contain Roger. Chapman, Bimbo Cole, Billy Owens, and even Kurt Thomas on the bench came up to defend Roger for several rounds.

But to no avail.

Roger's touch was not affected by their weak defense. The Heat's one-on-one defense had no effect on Roger.

Roger scored 13 points in a single quarter, playing easily.

But Riley felt his strategy was correct because the Magic only led the Heat by 3 points after the first quarter.

It is a fact that Roger's singles slowed down the offensive rhythm of the entire team.

If role players don't receive the ball for too long on the offensive end, their enthusiasm and their touch will decrease.

But is Roger hurting the team's offense? Not really. Because with the Magic's current lineup, if the ball is given to role players, the offense will only become more difficult.

In other words, no matter how the Magic choose to attack, it is the worst option, and this is what the Heat's defense wants to do.

During the intermission, Brian Hill did not blame Roger for excessive singles in the first quarter. He admitted that it was not the way he liked to play, but it was also the way he had to play now.

In the absence of soldiers and generals, Brian Hill did not have many ways to solve the problem. In this case, let Roger solve it.

He looked at Roger, hesitated for a moment, and then patted Roger on the shoulder: "Rest in the first four minutes of the second quarter."

Roger had no objection, he did need some rotation and rest time. Playing a full 48 minutes is not something that can be achieved by just saying a few words like "perseverance" or "persistence".

Who can't play a 48-minute confrontation? As long as you grit your teeth, you can persevere.

But in basketball, it is meaningless to persist for 48 minutes without efficiency. If you are just staying on the court, but you can neither shoot nor defend, then you might as well leave the court.

Players with truly high basketball IQs don’t pursue 48 minutes, but rather score the most points at the most appropriate time.

Roger needs to process a huge number of shots today. If he wants to ensure efficiency, he must take some time to catch his breath.

Without Roger at the beginning of the second quarter, the Magic's offense finally became a team.

But facing the Heat's almost error-free defense, the Magic's role players, who couldn't get any open opportunities, had no ability to force the ball.

As the defending champions, the Magic still have their foundation and their role players are all excellent.

But looking at this lineup now, the team has almost no weaknesses and almost no strengths.

No matter how good the role players are, they cannot replace the core role.

Just like when Li Kaier was a role player in the Timberwolves, he was an all-round player, but when he was in the national team, he was a disaster.

Again, if you want to defeat the Heat's defense, you need top talent.

Although Saru has recovered this season, he has lost his breakthrough after all. As a shooter without the ball, he is obviously unable to carry the team's offense.

He is a good accessory for Roger, but it would be a bit too much to ask him to lead the attack alone.

Four minutes passed quickly and the Heat overtook by 4 points.

It was only at this point that Roger finally returned to the game.

As soon as he came back, Roger couldn't wait to walk to the Heat bench and looked directly at Pat Riley: "Watch it, bastard!"

Riley remained calm and didn't even move off the bench.

He firmly believed that Roger's offensive efficiency would fluctuate as the game progressed.

In this game, the Heat must fight the Magic to the end.

After Roger came on the court, he immediately narrowed the gap with a back-to-the-basket goal, which marked the beginning of his scoring spree in the second quarter.

In the last 8 minutes of this quarter, Roger scored 15 points in one go!
And just like before, every time a goal was scored, Roger would yell at the bench.

"How about this shot, Pat? Does it look like I put your head in the basket?"

"How about I switch to my left hand? I'm not an unreasonable person. If you kneel down and beg me, I can give you some respect and forgiveness."

"Yes, Pat, yes, this is the epitome of your miserable life! No matter where you go, no matter who you always find to form a team, you will be defeated by me again and again, until one day you give up basketball!"

Roger scored again and again, firing at Riley again and again.

Because the Heat only double-teamed Roger when he entered the restricted area, Roger scored very easily.

Morning did not interrupt again. Roger's education made him deeply aware of the truth that children should not interrupt when adults are talking.

With 28 points in the first half, Roger led the team into the second half with a 7-point advantage.

The entire American Airlines Center fell into a deathly silence. They had never witnessed such terrifying individual firepower.

Heat fans and team owner Micky Arison were extremely nervous and fearful. Their hearts were truly connected at this moment.

Given Roger's incredibly good form in the first half, they all had a terrible thought at this point: What if, just if, if Roger's hand felt the same in the second half, what would the game be like?

This had better not happen!
Everyone in the American Airlines Center was nervous, except for Riley, who might be the calmest person in the entire arena.

After the halftime game, facing Roger's 28-point performance in the first half, he stood up expressionlessly and prepared to return to the locker room.

NBC's Hannah once again interviewed Riley: "Do you regret it? Roger didn't look very happy, and he already scored 28 points tonight."

Riley's expression was indifferent: "So what? Are you saying that I will regret angering him? No, he hasn't won the game yet. When the game is over, you won't ask me similar questions again."

Riley's calmness was not fake. He thought it was normal for Roger to have a good touch in the first half. No top player would run out of energy in the first half.

But what about the third and fourth quarters?

In the player tunnel, Riley adjusted the Rolex on his wrist and then tugged at his tie.

He could not tolerate the slightest flaw in his appearance in public.

You must be elegant, even if you are 7 points behind you must remain calm and elegant.

The NBA has become the art of live television broadcasting, and Riley is well aware that he is also part of the live broadcast, and his every move is under the public's attention.

So Riley must maintain a perfect image in front of the public, because in his opinion, a perfect image represents his dignity in front of the public.

He is a man who desperately desires dignity because before becoming the head coach of the Lakers, he had always been a small character with little dignity throughout his basketball career.

He was a star in college but became a poor foil to Texas Western University's legendary all-black starting lineup.

He played in the NBA, won a championship, and created a 33-game winning streak, but he was just a foil to stars like Jerry West.

After retiring, he humbly returned to the Lakers and asked for a job as a broadcaster, still working at the bottom level and still just a supporting role.

Before the age of 37, his entire basketball career had nothing to do with the word "dignity".

Until one day, Magic Johnson and the entire locker room launched a mutiny and drove out head coach Paul Wested, which completely changed Riley's life.

In a strange twist of fate, Riley was suddenly placed on the throne almost overnight.

Finally, he began to feel respected, and his past experiences made him swear that his dignity would never be trampled upon again.

So he loves the media, loves his perfect image in front of the media, loves seeing people scream, admire and fear. All these greatly satisfy his heart that longs for dignity.

He is trying hard to get rid of the shadow of his life without dignity before the age of 37, and the perfect and elegant image in front of the camera is a concrete epitome of his dignity, so he attaches great importance to it.

If his perfect image in front of the camera is destroyed, it would be equivalent to trampling on his dignity and making him kneel in front of the camera.

At this time, Stan Van Gundy, sweating profusely, ran to Riley panting.

In Riley's view, Stan Van Gundy, with his messy clothes and sweaty forehead, had no dignity at all, just like a lost dog, which made Riley disgusted.

"Damn it, is a plane going to hit the American Airlines Arena? Why are you in such a mess!?" Riley cursed his useless assistant coach.

Riley, the Van Gundy brothers, was also convinced. In the Knicks, Jeff Van Gundy was bald early and had no temperament or image. In Orlando, Stan Van Gundy was sloppy and not elegant at all!
"Pat, are we really not going to double-team Roger?!" Stan Van Gundy's tone was panicked.

"You ran after me, sweating all over, just to ask this? Damn it, shut up, Stan! You look like a down-and-out puppy kicked out by its owner. I'm ashamed to stand with you! Why should we attack from both sides? Our tactics haven't been effective yet!"

"But Pat, if Roger's touch in the second half is still the same..."

"No ifs! Get your clothes in order, Stan, don't dress like a deserter!"

Riley has a tough attitude and he wants to carry out this defensive strategy to the end.

Pat Riley has always been a tactically extreme person. He can play the fastest and most aggressive offense in the league with the Lakers, or he can completely abandon offense and play the slowest and most aggressive defense in New York.

Tonight, he went to the extreme of letting Roger score alone. He firmly believed that this extreme strategy would eventually bring down the man he hated the most.

Tonight will surely be a slow death for Roger!
After the start of the third quarter, Roger's output and efficiency indeed declined.

He only scored 10 points in this quarter, and the Heat narrowed the gap to just 1 point.

A slight smile finally appeared on Riley's face. This was the first time he showed his emotions in front of the camera today.

Mickey Arison couldn't help but laugh. Finally, the game entered his favorite part, the part where the talented player fell miserably at the American Airlines Arena!

Roger's 38 points in three quarters are certainly not a small number, but as long as we can't win, everything will be in vain!
They both firmly believed that Roger, who had been worn down, would be strangled in the fourth quarter.

Roger sat on the bench and poured a glass of Gatorade into his mouth.

Brian Hill continued to squat: "Rest for four minutes."

"Two minutes."

"Have you forgotten Michael who lost to us before? I don't want to see you miss a single shot in the final moments."

"No, Michael was exhausted because the guy defending him was called Ron Harper. The Heat's trash hasn't drained my energy yet. I'm still fine. I just had some issues with my touch in the third quarter. Two minutes of rest is enough."

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Bill Walton frowned as he watched Roger sweating profusely while sitting on the bench. "I can say responsibly that Roger is unstoppable tonight. This young man is too strong and the Heat can't defend him at all. The problem is that the Magic's offense tonight can only rely on Roger. Can he continue to output to the end under Pat Riley's high-pressure strategy?"

Taking advantage of Roger's absence, the Miami Heat reversed the score to 5 points.

In fact, the Heat's offensive efficiency is just average, but without Roger's magic, the offensive efficiency is even worse.

Fortunately, Roger didn't rest for too long. Two minutes later, he appeared on time.

The next 10 minutes will be the reckoning time between him and Riley!

As expected, Roger took the ball right away.

At this time, Kurt Thomas was again responsible for defending Roger.

Now Kurt Thomas is still a defender who can swing to the third position. He is 206 cm tall, tall and thin, and has a tough style.

But one thing is that even if this is Kurt Thomas who has not gained weight, his speed is not as good as Roger.

So, as long as Roger could find a gap to accelerate, his defense would fail.

This round was like this, Roger used a continuous double change of direction, passing by Thomas who was never able to block him, and then made a quick stop jump shot at mid-range, and the ball was scored with a soft touch.

40 points, the fourth time this season.

The Magic narrowed the gap to 3 points.

If you had to use one word to describe the Heat's defense against Roger tonight, it would be futile.

Roger cannot be restricted in a one-on-one situation, and Pat Riley has once again proved this for the entire league.

But what about the score?

The Magic never widened the score today and were overtaken from time to time.

Roger scored again and again, but he was like working on an assembly line, doing a job with no future at all, with no results in sight.

Riley firmly believed that if Roger continued like this, he would not only collapse physically but also mentally.

That's what he calls a slow death!
"Pat, are you ready to die?" Roger yelled at Riley as usual after scoring the goal.

This time, Riley unexpectedly responded to Roger: "It's your death, hypocritical bastard."

Soon, Mourning scored another tough goal for the Heat under the basket. His back muscles had begun to ache, and the painkillers could not help him for long.

But he didn't show any discomfort. He was determined to let Roger die here!
For Roger, Mourning's goal made all his efforts go to waste.

He finally scored 2 points, but his opponent responded easily.

Riley was trying to figure out what Roger was feeling at the moment, and he felt that Roger must be very desperate.

This desperation stimulated Riley's taste buds like a delicious food, leaving him wanting more.

"Keep going, don't let your guard down on defense, no one is allowed to go soft!" Riley shouted while sitting on the court.

It’s almost time, Roger’s breakdown is coming!
But what awaits Riley next?
It's Roger who keeps scoring!

A quick stop and step-back jump shot beat Kurt Thomas, 42 points.

"Pat, is 42 points enough? If not, I'll keep going!"

He was brought down by Alonso during a layup after praying to Buddha, but he made two free throws and scored 44 points.

"Shut up you idiot, just shut up, you and your team will never beat me!"

A minute later, Roger broke into the paint again. He had just been knocked down by Mourning, but he still rushed into the paint without hesitation, then pulled up for a layup and was knocked down by Mourning. The ball went in and the whistle sounded.

He fought for a 2+1 opportunity!
Roger missed the free throw, which shows that his touch was not completely affected.

But even so, Roger has already scored his 46th point tonight!
Collapse? No, his offense was not affected at all. He was still working tirelessly, responding to Riley round after round!

Roger's roar never stopped: "You are getting closer, Pat. You are getting closer to death! Do you think you can say whatever you want? No, from now on, you will never dare to judge me casually again! Because tonight, you will pay the price!"

Mickey Arison cursed inwardly as he watched Roger continue to yell at Riley.

Unlike what he expected, this super genius did not die, but continued to perform brilliantly!
To be honest, this situation is really hopeless. No matter how you score, the score difference cannot be widened.

But every time he saw Pat Riley's face, Roger's desire to win would burn.

This bastard who played the villain in his rookie season, this culprit who over-exerted himself in the preseason and caused the Shark to be injured, this bastard who used despicable means to sow discord between himself and his teammates, Roger must get rid of him no matter what!
What the Shark said on the phone yesterday was right, only the Miami Heat and only Pat Riley are unforgivable!
So every time Roger scores a goal, he will scold Riley. This is both a way to vent and a way to strengthen his determination!
Roger also started to miss shots and make mistakes.

But overall, his scoring pace has never stopped. Always scoring, always scoring!

One and a half minutes before the end of the game, Roger made a pull-up shot over Billy Owens' head. The basketball hit the front of the basket, but bounced and fell into the net.

"52 points! Roger set a new career high in a single game! I've said it before, Pat Riley used the wrong method! Roger poured out all his anger!" Bill Walton's face flushed. This was definitely the most violent revenge performance he had ever seen!
This shot not only broke Roger's scoring record, but also allowed the Magic to lead by 5 points in the final moments!
After making a shot that broke his own career record, Pat Riley, who had been very calm, finally stood up in panic.

"Pinch attack, pinch attack!"

He admitted that his strategy had completely failed. He no longer allowed his players to fight one-on-one. He was like a climber about to fall off a cliff, desperately trying to grab the vines at hand. The pincer attack was the last vine he could grab.

Roger looked at Riley at this time and pointed to the floor with his right hand: "Sit down, Pat! Sit down and enjoy the show tonight. I am the protagonist, and you are just a fucking audience. Sit down! Remember what I said before? This is not over! The show is still going on, sit down!"

The two men's shouting pushed the atmosphere of the game to its climax. Riley found that his hair was a little messy. He hurriedly used his hands to tidy up his hair, but it became more messy!

Riley's breathing was rapid. His elegant image was once again no longer perfect because of Roger. He felt that his respect was being attacked!

One round later, Mourning's mid-range shot missed, bringing despair closer to the American Airlines Arena.

But unfortunately, Roger failed to score the jump shot after counterattacking and being double-teamed.

The score difference is still five points and the outcome is undecided.

For the Heat, this attack was their last chance.

After Mourning set a screen for Chapman, he moved to the mid-range and prepared to catch the ball and shoot.

But the moment Chapman was about to pass the ball, Roger immediately slapped the ball away.

The basketball hit the floor and bounced out of bounds, flying towards Pat Riley who was holding his hands.

Seeing the basketball and Roger coming towards him at the same time, Riley opened his mouth in panic and took two steps back reflexively.

The basketball flew in front of him and Roger reached out to grab the ball.

Then, the whole audience heard a "pop".

Roger used his right hand to slap Riley hard in the face!
He really left his right hand to Pat Riley!

After the slap, Roger pretended to be surprised: "Ah, I didn't get the ball."

The heavy blow completely destroyed Riley's hairstyle. Fresh red blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he fell to the ground in a mess due to dizziness.

There was an exclamation from the entire audience, and members of the Heat coaching staff immediately walked over to help Riley up.

"Damn it, Pat, can you hear me? Pat!"

"Team doctor, Harlan! Harlan! Damn it, come here!"

"He's bleeding, fuck, check where it is!"

The Heat's bench was in chaos, and Riley's exquisite Armani custom suit was torn into pieces by the coaching staff.

All cameras were now focused on Riley, and everyone's eyes were now focused on Riley.
Riley panicked: "No, no, let me go, let me go!"

He wanted to reach out to fix his hair and clothes, he wanted to maintain his perfect image, but the next second, he saw himself appearing on the big screen at the scene.

Riley stared at himself on the big screen with wide eyes, his expression was as terrified as if he had seen someone being killed in front of him!
He was bleeding, his hair was a mess, his suit buttons and shirt collar were open, and one of his shoes was missing. At this moment, he looked even worse than Stan Van Gundy at halftime, ten times uglier!
This was the most embarrassing moment for Pat Riley since he became a coach. He couldn't believe that the loser on the big screen was himself. The biggest blow to Riley was that this embarrassing scene was seen by everyone!

This is not elegant at all!
Pat Riley regarded his perfect image as the concrete symbol of his dignity, so the moment his image was completely destroyed, his dignity was also trampled upon in public!

The thing he valued most was crushed by Roger himself!
Roger took a bloody, deep-to-the-bone revenge on Riley! Not just the game, but Riley's soul was torn apart!
Riley wanted to watch Roger die slowly, but he certainly didn't expect that he would experience a sudden death before Roger died!
No one knew whether Roger really failed to save the ball or slapped Riley on purpose.

Perhaps just like the unsolved case of the Zodiac Killer, the world will never know the real answer.

In short, the referee on the scene thought it was just an accident, so he did not punish Roger on the spot, and they signaled that the game should continue.

The Heat kept the ball, but their general had been completely knocked down. This group of people had completely lost the belief in winning, and their fighting will was extinguished the moment Riley fell to the bench like a dead man.

After Chapman missed the three-pointer, the Magic immediately counterattacked. Roger successfully hit a pull-up jump shot under double-teaming, scoring a career-high 54 points and completely buried the Heat.

Looking at Riley with empty eyes as if his soul had been sucked out, looking at Roger's iconic celebration by jumping onto the technical table, looking at the tough Heat players who were completely dejected.

In the stands, Heat owner Micky Arison, who was expecting a good show, wiped the sweat from his forehead.

At that moment, he even had such a terrible thought in his mind:

It's over. There will no longer be a Miami Heat. This team, which is in the same state as the Magic, may be beaten out of business by Roger!

Looking at Roger who was celebrating wildly while standing on the table in front of him, Bill Walton took a deep breath:
"Ladies and gentlemen, Roger scored 88 of the team's 54 points. Remember this game, this is the cruel con game!"

(End of this chapter)